I have not believed Hackworth since before Desert Storm was launched.
Here is the gloom and doom that Hackworth predicted for the Gulf War.
The cover story for Newsweek magazine for the week of January 21, 1991 was “We Will Win, But…” by “America’s Most Decorated War Hero”. Here are quotes from Hackworth’s January 21, 1991 Newsweek cover story article:
“Casualties won’t be 200 Americans dead a week, as in Vietnam. They will be more than 200 dead an hour in the first round.”
“The aircraft arranged in the Gulf are the wrong mix of aircraft”
“The Iraqis should give a good account of themselves in air attacks.”
“The Abrams M-1A1 tank is a fuel guzzler and a real liability in a roadless terrain”
“For the most part, from rifleman to battalion commander, these dedicated (American) soldiers and Marines have never seen war. And in my judgment they haven’t yet been made hard enough physically and mentally to survive the horror of potential combat with Iraq’s veteran Army.”
As it turned out, the Iraqi Army was totally routed at a cost of 137 U.S. dead for the entire war.
If transported in a time machine back to World War II, Hackworth would be great for telling you how to take out a German machine gun nest.
In regards to how to fight a 21st Century war, Hackworh's predictions are less valuable than the military predictions of my 13 year old daughter. At least my 13 year old daughter has the wisdom to tell you that she hasn't got a clue about the subject.